owners club of southern california - ncm marketing

Ownerrsquos Club of

Established 1978

Southern California

A Monthly Journal

March 2020

CBS Riders ldquoKylerdquo and ldquoMalcolmrdquo Attend The Singles Ride - See Reports On 3 amp 20

Also See 1st Annual Lake Mathews Street Ride Report amp Photos on Page 8 amp 9

2

More From The Singles Ride 2020

SHARP EYES WILL RECOGNIZE SOME ldquoRECYCLED PHOTOSrdquo FROM LAST MONTH DUE TO LACK OF

SUBMISSIONS FROM OUR SINGLES RIDERS WELL AT LEAST THESE ARE IN COLOR

Kelly Colganrsquos

Infamous Panther

Read Story on Page 10 Mike Haney on a BSA

ZzzzzmdashHave we been

overworking Barry

Cool Cub

Meet Our Directors

3

The Piled Arms is a publication of The BSA Ownerrsquos Club of Southern California

We are a member driven publication and rely

solely on your participation Technical articles

photos and ldquoMember Experiencesrdquo and opinions

are essential

Burt Barrett (661) 742-5539helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipPresident

Steve Ortiz (951) 440-3521hellipSecretary Membership Editor

Barry Sulkin (310) 569-1383hellipTreasurerMembershipRegalia

Barbara Barrett (661) 832-6109helliphelliphelliphellipEvents Director

John Calicchio (714) 614-5907helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipDirector

Bill Findiesen (714) 306-1964 helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipDirector

Jody Nicholas (714) 730-9257helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellipDirector

Piled Arms Production Staff

Steve Ortiz (951) 440-3521 mdashortizst1hotmailcomEditor Dave Zamiska helliphellipNewsletter Assembly and Packaging

Articles amp Photos from Contributing Members amp Named Sources

The Piled Arms 133 S Ralph Rd Lake Elsinore CA 92530-1838

Please submit your articles by E-Mail or direct mail Deadline for submissions is the 10th of each month

Contact Editor for ldquoCommercial Adrdquo rates and information

LibrarianhellipJack Fariahelliphellip805-551-4982 BSAOCSC RegaliahellipBarry Sulkinhellip310-569-1383

BSAOCSC FacebookhellipDominique Froesch951-809-4468 BSAOCSC InstagramhellipMikyle Ede661-492-5552 BSAOCSC Website Clive Brookshellip714-771-2534

wwwbsaocscorg

Front Cover by Barry Sulkin - Inside Cover Mikyle Ede Rick Chew Dave Destler amp Barry Sulkin

Inside Cover (R) by Sandi Bilson amp Gary Shultz Rear Cover Photo Submitted by Bob Abood

March 15 (Sun) BSAOCSC ldquoAL BAKER DUAL SPORTrdquo RIDE Meet at 9

AM at the Al Baker Ranch 16400 Wild Road Helendale Ca Ride starts at 10 AM

and is approximately 90-100 miles For vintage British motorcycles only with

street registration and spark arrestors Info Jim Wilson (310)292-8997 or Mike

Haney (760) 365-9191 Steve Ortiz (951) 440-3521

March 22 (Sun) BSAOCSC BI-MONTHLY MEETING Location John

Searockrsquos home at 2540 N Parish Place Burbank Ca 91504 Doors open at 1100

meeting at 1200 For information contact Barbara Barrett (661)703-9249 or Steve

Ortiz (951)440-3521

Mar 22 (Sun) Long Beach Motorcycle Swap-meet http

wwwsocalcycleswapmeetcom

April 4 (Sat) 74th Annual Trailblazers Banquet Carson Center in Carson CA

The BSAOCSC reserved 24 seats at this event Stop by tables 74 78 amp 79 and say

ldquoHirdquo

April 5 (Sun) BSAOCSC ldquoPAUL ELMORE CHUCK MINERT MEMO-

RIALrdquo INLAND EMPIRE STREET RIDE Start location at the South Temecula

area Walmart 32225 Temecula Pkwy Turn east off the I-15 on Temecula Pkwy

( Hwy 79 south) to Walmart parking lot near Apis Rd and Hwy 79 south Meet at 9

AM ride at 10 AM Info Steve Ortiz (951) 440-3521 Ride maps and route sheets

provided (Chase truck needed)

April 17 - 19 (Fri Sat Sun) BSAOCNC amp SC MID-STATE RIDE Friday

Social for Northern Club Marina Ramada Friday Social for Southern Club at The

Beach Bungalow Inn and Suites 1050 Morro Av Morro Bay Ca Northern Club

starts Saturday from the parking lot of the Starbuckrsquos in Carmel Hwy 1 amp Rio

Road Southern Club Starts Saturday from The Beach Bungalow Inn and Suites

parking lot Info SoCal Gregg Goris 805-798-3573 or

ggoris93023gmailcom NorCalDavid Warnes 650-868-5440 or da-

vidwarnessbcglobalnet Ray Pallett 510-456-6578 or rayp_94040yahoocom

April 26 (Sun) BSAOCSC ldquoBARRY SMITH MEMORIAL ALL BRITISH

RUNrdquo Hansen Dam Recreation Area in Parking Lot 4 Hansen Dam Lake View

Terrace CA 91342 ndash Directions from 210 Freeway Exit and travel west on Foot-

hill left turn on Osbourne then left on Dronfield Ave into Park Turn right then

head down to Parking Lot 4 - Meet at 9 AM Ride at 10 AM Info Steve Ortiz

(951) 440-3521 or Barbara Barrett (661) 703-9249

4

Calendar of Events 2020

Attention BSAOCSC Members Topping Events have offered free

entrance to the members riding in to the Long Beach Swap Meet

Contact Club Treasurer Barry Sulkin for tickets amp Other Info

Steve O

This issue was pretty much complete when I decided to try to include the recent Lake Mathews Street Ride into it and sur-prisingly things turned out well (in spite of some drizzles)

As many may know Irsquove been helping the team with Eddie Mulders Lake Cachuma Vintage British Bike Rally for the past few years and Irsquom thrilled to announce that there will be a 2020 event in June this year Eddie amp Jodi have a lot invested in this event and if you are going please register early to help them get an early headcount and reduce the last minute regis-trations that make life difficult for them

If you missed Gene Romerorsquos Celebration of Life and didnrsquot get a T-shirt ASCOT MOTORSPORTS has made them available again for a very limited time I recently received mine and itrsquos a nice tribute to a legend Hurry and check out Ascot Motorsports at ascotmotorsportscom

Please keep those stories coming in and many thanks to this months fine contributors Kyle Ede Barry Sulkin Bill Get-ty Peter Quick Andrea Gros Warren ldquoDocrdquo Stirling and a few others

Also Thanks to Gregg Goris and the Mid-State Ride Crew for setting up another great Mid-April RallymdashSee Calendar amp Flyer Inside

Other Notes Please send Barry or myself any email updates as we have received several rejections in our last email blasts and we want to keep you in the loop Thanks amp Ride Safe

Hello Friends

Editors Page of ldquoBits amp Piecesrdquo by Steve Ortiz

5

SAVE THE DATEmdashMORE DETAILS COMING SOON

The BSAOCSC Lake Mathews Street Ride had participa-tion from our hearty members under threatening skies that later delivered on the promise of rain Mark Walters was kind enough to offer a place to start and it was short ride to Bill and Marla Gettys Disneyland home (soo much cool stuff)

About 6 people rode from Marks house to the Getty house A light but steady rain started almost immediately and our leader Mark pulled into a gas station with a shel-ter Here is where Mike Haney and Kelly showed their preparation and put on rain gear while I looked on with envy wondering why I left my rain paints in the truck As Mike knew the way to Bills house from there Mike led the way looking like the Michelin man as the wind filled his rain suit It was short ride to Bills house and by then the rain was pretty steady not letting up much at all

We were met at Bills place by some of our fair weather riders (or those with more common sense than I) so it was a great club turnout in spite of the rain Bill had a nice grill set up with burgers and some of the best hot dogs (brats) I have eaten The wood stove was putting off some nice heat and Mark and I took advantage to dry off our jeans We all enjoyed touring around Bills collection (I also lusted after the yellow Dodge Dart) and Mike even located some ldquounobtainiumrdquo parts for his Triumph

We were given false hope that the rain would subside so Mark and 3 of us headed back to Marks house The Rock-et 3 ran like a champ and I had comfort in knowing that my TLS front brake would not lock up on the rain slicked roads so I had THAT going for me Great ride and thanks to Mark for hosting the starting point and Bill for hosting us at British Bike Disneyland

Bill Findiesen (for Burt Barrett) 6

Presidents Message Traffic amp Activity Report

Ed Thanks Bill and I donrsquot want to tell you but the hot dogs were Costcorsquos

7

IMPORTANT The club could use Old Parts to resell or Cash to

help defray costs Please Contact Club Treasurer Barry Sulkin for donations (and LB swap meet tickets) Barry Sulkin 310-569-1383

or barrysulknaolcom THANK YOU Unfortunately donations of cash and parts are not considered tax

deductible under our organizational filing

Important Renewal News

For our members convenience Renewal Reminder Emails will now come with a secure link to PayPal

You can get an expedited ldquoExpress Membershiprdquo renewal for 1 or 2 years using these easy links

Our website has also added these links just go to rdquoMembership Informationrdquo and select ldquoRenew Membershiprdquo

If you have any questions please contact our membership commit-tee Steve Ortiz 951-440-3521 or Barry Sulkin 310-569-1383

- To Join or Renewal Membership by Regular Mail -

Simply send a check for $25 to

BSAOCSC 11125 Westwood Blvd

Culver City CA 90230-4950

Thank You To Bill amp Marla Getty for

hosting the lunch stop and bike display

for our 1st Annual Lake Mathews Street

Ride

Big Thanks Also Go To Ride Creator and

ldquoHostrdquo Mark Walters and wife Gretchen

for the Treats and Hospitality

8 Steve O

1st Annual Lake Mathews Street Ride amp Show

The first annual Lake Mathews Street Ride was almost rained out but went

on and turned out to be a resounding success

After a picture perfect Saturday I awoke to rain on Sunday and sure the peo-

ple at NOAA had somehow rigged the weather to rain on Sunday but also

remembering the wise words of Dave Zamiska saying something like it al-

ways rains in February

So after discussion with my local riding pals Lenny amp Gary (and not being

able to squeeze into my old rain gear) we decided to truck to Mark Walters

home and see if anybody turned up About halfway there the roads were dry

and I was kicking myself for not riding We arrived to about 8 to 10 hearty

souls checking out each others bikes sampling some of the treats that Marks

wife Gretchen made while watching the crowd gradually begin to grow larger

before the take off around 1030 Staged for riding were the usual Triumph

contingent a lone Norton Royal Enfield Vincent Comet along with a Hon-

da Suzuki and a Bill Findiesens Electric starting 69 BSA Rocket 3

After startup the three of us and a small caravan followed the riders envious

of those on 2 wheels which quickly changed to comfortable inside the truck

as the first rains hit Fortunately the rain subsided and the group enjoyed a

nice ride to The Bill Getty Museum Arriving at Bills our eyes were treated

to a wonderful collection of new and old bikes wheeled out for display

Bill even remarked I found bikes I didnt know I had and in a blast from the

past I recognized a BSA-Triumph display stand from the an early 70s Cycle

World Show at the LA Sports Arena Remember That

Everyone had a great time checking out Bills toys and feasting on burgers

and hot dogs that were fresh off the barbecue while some deals were seen be-

ing made notably Mike Haney bartering for some rusty parts and Randy Res-

sell leaving the affair with a vintage electric minibike and an old Rickman

frame

Sadly after a few hours and a decision to drop the second half of the ride the

rain begin to fall again and most dashed off on their bikes for a quick return to

Marks home

We finally left in my truck and marveled how a wet crummy morning turned

into such a great day

Many thanks go out to Bill Marla Dominique Colie and the crew from JRC

for hosting such a wonderful event We surely hope to do this ride again with-

out the rain

9

Triumph lsquoStreet Cuprdquo

ldquoTailgate Kellyrdquo

amp his Norton

Markrsquos lsquo68 Triumph

Red Light

Back tyre needs to be on ramp

Mike Haney amp

ldquoOld Bluerdquo

More Smiling Faces

Seat Exam mdash Ask Mike

Hide lsquon Seek

Lake Mathews Street Ride amp Bike Show Photo Page

Yes You Should Have Been There

Food + Bikes + Friends = Fun

The Panther Story - By Kelly Colgan

Wersquoll need to turn the clock back to 1895 in Yorkshire Eng-land where a young engineer named Joah Phelon pondered the very idea of a ldquoperfected motorcyclerdquo

Phelons ideas were pretty radical for the time Rejected imme-diately were the conventions of simple clip-on engines with bicycle frames numerous awkward controls leather belt drives and the infamous ldquolight pedaling assistance required on hillsrdquo By 1902 Phelon had a design that featured chain drive simple controls and most revolutionary an open frame using the motor sloped steeply forward to replace the down tube as a stressed member

In 1904 eager to produce his own motorcycle and get rid of those bicycle pedals Phelon teamed up with another York-shireman named Richard Moore to form Phelon and Moore Motorcycles The innovations continued with two speed trans-missions magneto ignition pillion seating a kick starter and the distinctive sloping motor that became the Panther trade-mark

PampM gained both racing success and a reputation for unbreak-able technology PampM quickly adopted ldquoThe Perfected Motor-cyclerdquo in all advertising Innovations continued with automat-ic lubrication and a pioneering four-speed transmission at a time when most bikes were still single speeders All this ex-citement arrived just in time for a massive worldwide down-turn in motorcycle sales This difficult time inspired Phelon and Moorersquos most successful model a single bike that would carry the brand for the next forty plus years No one really knows where the name ldquoPantherrdquo originated although there is general agreement that pioneering motojournalist Ixion was fond of describing Phelon and Moore machines as having ldquocat like qualitiesrdquo The name stuck until the end in 1966 The Pan-ther was an almost overnight success Sporting riders liked them the police liked them the Royal Air Force liked them and Phelon and Moore moved into the golden age of British motorcycle innovation in very good standing

World War II did not bring lucrative motorcycle contracts to the company sadly Instead PampM were relegated to pro-ducing ordinary war materiel including shell casings and 10

11

components for other vehicles Like other motorcycle compa-nies that did not produce actual motorcycles for the war PampM transitioned into peace so desperately underfunded that they never recovered Itrsquos been suggested that PampMrsquos dismal war contracts were political pay back for their dubious labor prac-tices during the depression the stalwart 600cc Panther sol-diered on nearly unchanged still popular but now 20 years old One innovation the Dowty Air Fork eliminated fork springs and provided true progressive suspension an impressive inno-vation in an era when the telescopic fork was still considered crazy and new by most bike manufacturers

After the war New York importers York Motors and the American Motorcycle Company in California were recruited to sell Panthers in the United States Customers were eligible for an unbeatable offer ndash Buy a Panther and the AMC will pay for your passage over to pick up your Panther at Phelon and Moore Limited London England Buyers got a one-way tour-ist class voucher on the Queen Mary or the new Queen Eliza-beth How you got home with your new bike was apparently your problem

The Panther 600 still held the sidecar market though and one of every three new Panthers were registered as sidecars The final development of this seriously old design was the Panther model 120 which featured the beefy 600cc motor bored and stroked 650ccs This version even more tractor-like than its predecessor was a fine sidecar workhorse and able to stay with

Contrsquod

12

slower traffic on newly invented expressways

By 1960 the era of the big single was over and the BMC Mini automobile erased the commuter sidecar market al-most overnight The company went into receivership in 1962 and by 1967 it was producing only two models ndash a single and a twin Production ceased in 1968 and the per-fect motorcycle was sadly no more

The bike in the ride picture (Page 2) is a 1949 Panther m100 600cc purchased by a great man my stepfather whom I learned so much from he picked it up at an estate sale during a vacation visit to England in 1969 shipped it

to the states then left to me years later after he passed knowing I would care for and put it to good use God bless him its a real kick to ride the tractor-like motor will tackle a steep uphill as though its downhill I believe the powertorque is alive at 100 rpm not normal practice but if you venture to do so its capable from a dead stop in 4th gear and a little feather of the clutch to send you on your wayfrom there the machine takes complete con-trol over all time and thought

Submitted by

Kelly Colgan

The Panther Story - By Kelly Colgan (Contrsquod)

13

Every time I hear the BSA Owners Club (SoCal) Singles ride it always makes me think of dudes that are single and looking for some fun

The Singles ride is actually geared toward NOT what I mentioned above Last Sunday Kyle and Malcolm attended the ride at Griffith Park with Malcolm was aboard his Royal Enfield Intercep-tor and Kyle riding ldquosinglerdquo on his BSA single (B40) The ride starts on the west end parking lot of the LA ZOO and departs close to 10AM From there we ride through the hills and swing back down to the surface streets heading to Bobrsquos Big Boy in Toluca Lake A nice bite to eat socialize and we are back on the streets headed to the LA ZOO parking lot The ride is approx 60 miles round trip half hills and the oth-er half city streets Although these roads and streets we rode on are quite busy during a weekday Sundays happen to be very enjoyable with little traffic or chaos All bikes made it from and back to the parking lot with no issues A range of machines from the popular Triumph and BSA unit twin down to a very rare Panther single owned and rid-den by Kelly Colgan of Sunland CA Great times and a great ride THANK YOU to the BSA Owners Club of Southern Cali-fornia for continuing to have SoCal rides

Kyle amp Malcolm Ede

Owners Classic British Spares

BSAOCSC Singles Ride Report By


14

Las Vegas Auction Review January 2020

By Bill Getty

Well folks the Mecums and Bonhams motorcycle auctions are in the bag again and as expected the sea of gray hair was the predominant buyer and seller group I missed 2019 but was at Mecums for every ex-cruciating moment 8-10 hours of 102DB+ with no break for anything takes an amazing toll Add the extended days of Tuesday to Sunday for 6 days of remarkably loud and mostly entertaining pandemonium We elected to use a local Air BampB rather than stay in the smokey and crowd-ed hotel and highly recommend that option I did drive my Dodge long bed this year just in case I also delivered Gary Starks NOS 1953 Indi-an Chief ($65K reserve) and 1951 TT Warrior ($12K reserve) for the Friday event Gary came out on Thursday with his truck also just in case In 2017 I had to rent a trailer to bring my 4 treasures home so we wanted to be prepared

Tuesdays auction was a real turkey shoot with bikes either not selling or going for ridiculously low money I bought a 57 Triumph period bob-ber and a 1971 desert sled Triumph for chump change Wednesday was more of the same with the auction seating so empty that a deranged gunman could have come in blasting and hit nobody A lovely Vincent Rapide sold for $28000 complete with matching numbers Then an even nicer touring Vincent went for $33000 Even with the 10 auction premiumrsquo these were less than half the value (or is this the trend) Seems a lot of the really cheap bikes with no reserve were being sold for the estate of the deceased owners who were now be-yond caring for what they had paid for the things Worked out well for a few of the lucky buyers anyway and the next of kin got a bit of cash out of the deal No harm done there

The Thursday auction began as the previous days but about noon the mon-ey folks woke up and started bidding and for 4 hours it was 1999 again with silly money spent as with Martins A65 going for $28000 and some other nota-ble high prices You can see them at Mecums website Alas as the money began leaving for supper prices began to slide and the auction resumed setting new low prices By the end I bought a 1919 Triumph Model H for cheap money Friday dawned with even fewer buyers in the AM but followed the Thursday pattern with money showing up after lunch and driving tiny Honda mini bikes and veteran American bikes to dizzy highs But as with Thursday as supper called the auction trudged on and the deals became remarkable The Friday auction ran from 10 am to 845 PM a long time at no break and

15

102DB for anyone Saturday began with even fewer bidders and never recovered At some points I count-ed less than 200 people in the bid-ding area and some reasonable deals passed by I bought a 1922 Coventry Eagle for reasonable money that had passed though earlier without reaching reserve and resubmitted as the last Satur-day entry not even in the catalog at no reserve as well

Sunday had a remaining 100 or so bikes and the bikes out-numbered the bidders I bought a 1971 Triumph 650 on a whim as it seemed to be very cheap As it turned out the bike had a 1965 engine so the deal wasnt quite so good That is how auc-tions go you buy it and it is yours period and no discus-sion

Paying for bikes is interesting also The house gets 10 of the hammer price but what they dont say is the document fee and the sales tax the state of Nevada collects fees on any bike without a title (sold on bill of sale) or with a Nevada title Also bikes sold at auction cannot be titled or registered in Nevada To avoid the Nevada 875 sales tax you can ship with the auction house shipping company I shipped my 1919 Triumph from Vegas to Perris Ca for $345 not to bad but money I didnt need to spend if I could have taken the bike Oh and the auction company no longer accepts credit cards even though you can put your initial deposit on a card go figure

I didnt go to Bonhams but those who did described it as a mausole-um with few lots selling and the ones that did at stupid low prices The bike I wanted was listed as ldquowithdrawnrdquo but went to auction anyway Fancy a 1983 Triumph T140ES with less than 1000 miles from new for $220000 So would I My conclusion regarding the auc-tion is that selling at auction only works for dead people who are done with the bikes they loved but great for the living who want to own a bike or 5 that they have always wanted

Bill Getty

16

I have always had at least one motorcycle since I was 14 sometime late in

1968 Dirt bikes were my main focus so I have always been partial to light and

nimble single cylinder bikes I competed in enduros typically 80 to 110 mile

cross country races using up most of a day for about three years I had to stop

once I got a bit into college as all my meager earnings were diverted to paying

for that venture After college I shifted to road bikes for basic transport to sup-

plement the junky cars that I also drove around in I usually drove a bit too

aggressively on my road bikes speeding splitting lanes to get to the front of

traffic lines at stoplights and stupid stuff that seemed likely to get me seriously

injured at some point So I returned to single cylinder dual purpose bikes

around 1990 to slow me down I remember visiting Boston Cycles on Bright-

on Ave in Boston sometime around 1969 to get a part for a Yamaha 80 I had

They were also a BSA dealer and there was this long row of Victors lined up

with their yellow and polished aluminum tanks the aesthetic boggled my mind

The image stayed put deep in the recesses and for whatever reason popped out

around 2001 and a year or so later I bought my first British motorcycle a 1967

BSA 441 Victor I wanted to take it apart but it looked good and ran fine so

was reluctant to mess with it So I bought a very worn out Victor as a parts bike

so I could take that apart instead

And thus started my strange obsession with the BSA unit single line of bikes I

just kept buying unit single parts bikes some to fix up some to strip for parts I

found that typical rebuild project required hunting all over the US and the UK

for some of the parts needed It was normal to buy from at least eight vendors

in order to get all the parts needed A few had websites where you could look

up part numbers and hope they actually had the parts in stock DomiRacer and

British Only at least could be used as a reference before calling them to see if

they actually had the parts in stock All others required laborious calls going

through check lists of parts needed gathering prices and finding out who had

what The problem with both DomiRacer and British Only was that even

though you could place orders on their websites you never knew what might

actually show up or not and sometimes the prices were different For the few

parts sellers that had websites their inventory was clearly disconnected from the

order taking process What a pain From 1974 until 2015 I was in a service

industry providing storage and shipping services to publishers It was started by

my father in Massachusetts and I tagged along at the beginning I spun off and

opened an operation in Michigan in 1980 In 1998 I took over running the en-

tire operation with warehouses in two states and about 80 employees We spe-

cialized not in just handling others goods in our case books but we provided

accurate inventory control order processing shipping and logistics and crisp

customer service with usually same day turn around shipping orders long be-

fore Amazon existed We evolved with technology and eventually were provid-

ing behind the scenes website shopping cart and data base management for

Creating a BSA motorcycle parts business

By Peter Quick

17

publishers websites so they could sell directly to end users not just to book

stores This history is important as it really explains why I decided to get into

the vintage motorcycle parts business I grew restive after nearly 42 years

working for idiosyncratic publishers The publishing industry was (and still is)

shrinking and aside from being bored in the business I feared the long term

trend of the business slow contraction Happily I was approached by folks that

should have known better and they bought the business and freed me in 2015

A couple years earlier I had started up a motorcycle parts business working out

of my book warehouse using the powerful data base and website functions I

had spent a few million dollars in developing over the previous 15 years In

2011 I had started thinking about how I could do a far better job selling parts

than any of the vendors I was buying from All my processes were integrated

in one data base so there was no laborious re-entry of data and the attendant

entry errors one makes doing so Inventory was close to real time on my web-

site my system could calculate shipping costs and could be easily updated

without knowing how to code Basically a modern content management system

was in place so from my PC I could make edits in any aspect of my website and

data base Click a button and it was done and also updated on my website I

knew I could run an efficient operation as a sole operator I would not have

started the parts business without my powerful programs That is why so many

folks selling parts use eBay because eBay supplies all of the heavy lifting with

their programs (and why they charge 10 to do so) What I do is way more

efficient than anything that could be offered by using the eBay process My

scheme was to hyper specialize and just work with one line of motorcycles in

my case BSA unit singles from 1959 to 1973 Since I work on them continu-

ously Irsquove learned them inside out and understand their evolution from one

model to the next I knew this line was underserved as the bulk of the vintage

British motorcycle business is aimed at Triumphs and Nortons and then per-

haps all other makes in a haphazard manner In order to hyper specialize I knew

I had to not just carry the typical after market items available to all the other

British bike parts dealers but had to develop a wider coverage of parts for

ldquomyrdquo models than anyone else carries One stop shopping and on top of that

loads of free advice To do this and make any money doing so I knew I had to

try to dominate my market not just in the US but worldwide to get enough

sales to justify continuing expanding my parts offerings Starting any business

means plowing most profits right back into the business for many years to get

firmly established But to do the above things I had to figure out where the ma-

jor stashes of original NOS parts for the unit singles were located and work at

getting them But first what parts to look for For a year and a half before for-

mally creating my business I worked on creating a ldquocleanrdquo data base with as

many part numbers for the unit singles as I could assemble This would let me

know what part numbers to look for worldwide as sometimes there are three

different part numbers for the same part thus different folks have the same

parts under different numbers With my clean data base I could compare to

other data bases and be able to just pull out unit single part numbers from vast-

ly larger data bases With my lists in hand well actually in Excel I was and am

able to approach various possible sellers and pull out all the parts I

Contrsquod

18

Creating a BSA Motorcycle Parts Business

want but not buy other ldquounwantedrdquo part numbers I am still refining my parts

number database after seven years in the business There are easily 5000 part

numbers that relate to the unit singles that in reality are closer to 2000 physical-

ly different items My major acquisitions of parts started in the winter of 2013

buying a 22rsquo truckload of 18 worn out BSA unit singles and a number of pal-

lets of used parts along with a pallet of NOS parts These came from a unit

singles hoarder in Kansas who picked up the parts from a couple Kansas ex-

BSA dealers Shortly after that I learned that DomiRacer (in Ohio) was likely

to go out of business I made a successful outreach to DomiRacer before they

did a disastrous (for them) auction That way even though I paid a much higher

prices than folks at the auction bought parts for I was able to strip out the li-

onrsquos share of their BSA unit singles parts (lots of NOS items) many of which

they had bought from British Only sometime around 2004 Interesting to note

is that the bulk of the NOS items that made up this purchase came originally

from a massive purchase of parts from the closing of the BSA Nutley NJ ware-

house when BSA went under in 1974 One third of the parts from Nutley were

sold to Andy Pelc in Michigan who had the first pick of the inventory These

were then later sold to British Only Since then I have hunted down five other

smaller ex-BSA Triumph dealers that still had NOS inventory stashed away

and have bought all of their unit single inventories My most recent successes

in procuring difficult to get inventories include buying out all of Raberrsquos (in

California) unit singles parts before they went on to host a disappointing auc-

tion and recently an overseas hoard of B40 parts that had come from a govern-

ment parts depot in Israel That was a time capsule of a parts stash with many

items truly unobtainable elsewhere Of course most B40 engine parts are inter-

changeable with other unit single models I am also relentless picking up spe-

cific parts Irsquom looking for on eBay from individuals and at swap meets All

this gives me breadth and depth in parts specifically for the BSA unit singles

that no other vendors can match And I generally try to sell parts for less than

most of my competitors The breaking news is that I have just bought most of

British Onlyrsquos (in Michigan) remaining BSA unit single inventory about 1100

line items and 7000 pieces Some obscure gems and lots of good workaday

inventory Not everything is the big treasure hunt for NOS inventory In addi-

tion to purchasing parts from distributors and UK suppliers or manufacturers I

work with suppliers and manufacturers to introduce new made reproduction

parts that are not otherwise available I have had a number of successes on this

front More difficultly I also pester my suppliers to improve items that are

made incorrectly or of a too low a standard Sometimes I succeed in getting a

manufacturer to correct a problem which makes me feel good But sadly most

often I just have to learn what parts from certain suppliers to just avoid and not

order because they just keep selling the poorly made part even though they

know it is a problem It might be fun to do a kiss and tell on the various suppli-

ers and issues I have come across in the seven short years Irsquove been in busi-

ness but it wouldnrsquot be prudent since I still have to work with them The eco

19

system of manufacturers for BSA parts is not all that big and we are very for-

tunate that those making things keep at it even with sometimes mixed results

Irsquod like to think that I have five to ten more years in this business but one nev-

er knows how health will go once one is over 65 years old The vintage British

motorcycle parts business does seem to be shrinking at least as far as the

number of shops and vendors goes I suppose that is what allows a business

like mine to survive Closing shops are a major source of hard to get parts for

me Combine that with a good website and technology and I can provide a

BSA unit singles enthusiast better access to parts than they have ever had in

the past

Peter Quick BSA Unit Singles LLC

wwwbsaunitsinglescom

As Seen At Local Car

Show

ldquoCozmic Joerdquo Filardi amp

ldquoSidecar Susierdquo

Ellsworth enjoying a

moment during

Cozmicrsquos showing of

his beautiful ldquometal

artrdquo which was

recently recognized in

Autoweek magazine

20

Barryrsquos Singles Ride Story - From The Chase Truck

Twenty-three riders showed up at Grif-

fith Park Zoo (aka LA Zoo) parking lot

for our annual Singles Ride The ride

originally intended for those smaller

singles 200 350 400cc bikes had a to-

tal of one rider on a 200cc Triumph

Cub that was Mike Haney

The turn out was 8 BSArsquos

8 Triumphrsquos 3 Velocettersquos 1

Norton 1 Royal Enfield 1

Panther and I not having any

running bikes at the time

showed up with my trusty

truck as the sweep

We all left at 10 no one riding

under 40 mph in the 25-mph park

Clear weather but a little on the

chilly side A nice uneventful

ride until we approached Laurel

Canyon Blvd while riding on Riv-

erside Dr Police and Fire

blocked Riverside off so all the

riders had to take a detour and

find a parallel road Later on the

news I heard there was a fatality

from a car hitting a jogger

About half of the starters

wound up at our lunch stop at

the Bobrsquos Big Boy Restaurant

in Toluca Lake After lunch a

leisurely 5-mile ride back to the

parking lot

Barry Sulkin

Andrearsquos Brain Teaser

21

Submitted By Andrea Gros

Triumph Classic Motorcycles Costa Mesa CA

Answers Page 22

Members Only - For Sale Wanted

22

WANTED USED MOTORCYCLE TRAILER

Must be light weight 250-300 lbs Please call Wayne at 310-275-8034 or email waynestamblergmailcom

ALSO WANTED

Bill Robertson vintage frame for my 69

Black license plate My was destroyed when I was rear ended

driving home from the ldquoToluca Loop Riderdquo Call Wayne at

Exp 5120

Members may place Non Commercial ldquo4-Salerdquo or ldquoWantrdquo Ads in the Piled Arms Free for 90 days

without renewal

For Sale - BSA Left Side A10 NOS header pipe $35 - Early C15 wheels 19rear 20 front and rear wheels $100 pair - Other old BSA Wheels Cheap Norton front wheel with disc Also a drum brake type Norton rear wheel $30 ea New Addition 1 pair of C11 wheels for $75 For Sale Royal Enfield Gas TankmdashOnly $50 Contact Barry 310-398-6406 310-569-1383 or barrysulknAolcom Exp 4120

Wanted T160 motor (running amp complete) Also big front drum brake for a special project Larry Feece 760 468 5911 or matchlessmoldHotmailcom

Exp 4120

Larry builds cool projects like this Ed

Crossword Puzzle Answers (Page 21)

ACROSS 1 Commando 2 Minerva 3 Golden Flash 4 Daytona 5 Blue Centre 6 Tiger 7 Trident

DOWN 8 Mag 9 Bathtub 10 Olympic Flame 11 Amal 12 Birmingham


23

WANTED Original Owners Handbook

(ie owners manual) for my 1970 BSA B44 Victor

- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X

Call Vern Elmore 951-312-2805 or

t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120

For Sale 1974 Norton Commando 850 Roadster - Heres the one youve

been looking for 19035 original miles 99

stock Electronic ignition and single Mikuni carb are

the only non-stock modifications Clean title Abso-

lutely no mechanical issues Ive had the pleasure of

owning and riding this beauty for the last 5 years I

bought it with roughly 10k miles Ive put on 9k

miles $17000 total invested I have receipts for

maintenance done since Ive owned it Heres a list

of work done New wiring harness electronic ignition Mikuni carb with throt-

tle cable head removed to repair cylinder head spigots and new valves and

springs new front fender new paint front forks rebuilt swingarm rebuilt

clutch rebuilt new primary chain new exhaust Also Brand new done in Sep-

tember new drive chain new coil spark plugs plug wires with resistors re-

build power steering reservoir new mirrors and front blinkers Rear tire has

only 1500 miles front tire 6000 miles both in great condition $11950

Please call or email with any questions Pat 949-370-0133 pathen-

nessy777yahoocom One more thing this has a YOM California plate

with original 1974 sticker If someone from CA buys this bike you can have

the plate If not Im keeping the plate

Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121

Wise WordsmdashSubmitted By Warren ldquoDocrdquo Stirling 26

1st Annual Lake Mathews Street Ride

SEE RIDE REPORT ON PAGE 8 AND ldquoSOMETHING IS NOT RIGHTrdquo IN THE GROUP PHOTOmdashA BSA CAP TO THE

FIRST RIDE ATTENDEE WHO FINDS IT ED 27

MOST OF THESE RIDERS GOT WET

- Famous People -

Looks Like Our Own Barry Sulkin Has

Made The Local Headlines

2

More From The Singles Ride 2020

SHARP EYES WILL RECOGNIZE SOME ldquoRECYCLED PHOTOSrdquo FROM LAST MONTH DUE TO LACK OF

SUBMISSIONS FROM OUR SINGLES RIDERS WELL AT LEAST THESE ARE IN COLOR

Kelly Colganrsquos

Infamous Panther

Read Story on Page 10 Mike Haney on a BSA

ZzzzzmdashHave we been

overworking Barry

Cool Cub

Meet Our Directors

3





are essential
















wwwbsaocscorg











Ortiz (951)440-3521





ldquoHirdquo





















4





Steve O







Hello Friends


5









7

















Ride




8 Steve O





























frame



Marks home





out the rain

9



amp his Norton


Red Light


Mike Haney amp

ldquoOld Bluerdquo

More Smiling Faces


Hide lsquon Seek










11




Contrsquod

12



The bike in the ride picture () is a 1949 Panther m100 600cc purchased by a great man my stepfather whom I learned so much from he picked it up at an estate sale during a vacation visit to England in 1969 shipped it


Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



Meet Our Directors

3





are essential
















wwwbsaocscorg











Ortiz (951)440-3521





ldquoHirdquo





















4





Steve O







Hello Friends


5









7

















Ride




8 Steve O





























frame



Marks home





out the rain

9



amp his Norton


Red Light


Mike Haney amp

ldquoOld Bluerdquo

More Smiling Faces


Hide lsquon Seek










11




Contrsquod

12





Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -











Ortiz (951)440-3521





ldquoHirdquo





















4





Steve O







Hello Friends


5









7

















Ride




8 Steve O





























frame



Marks home





out the rain

9



amp his Norton


Red Light


Mike Haney amp

ldquoOld Bluerdquo

More Smiling Faces


Hide lsquon Seek










11




Contrsquod

12





Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



Steve O







Hello Friends


5









7

















Ride




8 Steve O





























frame



Marks home





out the rain

9



amp his Norton


Red Light


Mike Haney amp

ldquoOld Bluerdquo

More Smiling Faces


Hide lsquon Seek










11




Contrsquod

12





Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -










7

















Ride




8 Steve O





























frame



Marks home





out the rain

9



amp his Norton


Red Light


Mike Haney amp

ldquoOld Bluerdquo

More Smiling Faces


Hide lsquon Seek










11




Contrsquod

12





Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



8 Steve O





























frame



Marks home





out the rain

9



amp his Norton


Red Light


Mike Haney amp

ldquoOld Bluerdquo

More Smiling Faces


Hide lsquon Seek










11




Contrsquod

12





Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



9



amp his Norton


Red Light


Mike Haney amp

ldquoOld Bluerdquo

More Smiling Faces


Hide lsquon Seek










11




Contrsquod

12





Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -









11




Contrsquod

12





Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



12





Submitted by

Kelly Colgan


13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



13







14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



14


By Bill Getty




15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



15





Bill Getty

16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



16












































By Peter Quick

17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



17
















































Contrsquod

18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



18














































19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



19










the past




Show




moment during



artrdquo which was


Autoweek magazine

20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



20















truck as the sweep


















parking lot

Barry Sulkin


21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -




21



Answers Page 22


22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120


Crossword Puzzle Answers ()




23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -




22



ALSO WANTED




Exp 5120


without renewal



Exp 4120






23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -




23



- 00-4171 dated June 1969 X


t140vhotmailcom

Exp 3120





















Exp 312020

Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



Exp 9120

Exp 10120

12113

Exp 8120 24

Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



Exp 11120

Exp 11120

25

Exp 11120

Exp 1121






- Famous People -



Exp 1121






- Famous People -







- Famous People -



owners club of southern california - ncm marketing

Documents